In their first two conference match-ups of the season, the Colgate women’s hockey team lost to No. 9 Harvard 2-1 and tied No. 6 Dartmouth 5-5, moving Colgate’s record to 1-6-1.

On Friday, Colgate’s defensive game was challenged early on when senior forward Evan Minnick was given a five minute major penalty for boarding after only a minute-and-a-half of play. Facing a Crimson extended power-play, the Raiders’ defense stepped up and stopped Harvard’s offense. Five minutes after the start of the second period, senior tri-captain Marissa Dombovy fed the puck to Minnick who scored her second goal of the season, giving Colgate a 1-0 lead.

This score lasted six minutes before Harvard defender Leanna Coskren snuck a goal past junior goaltender Lisa Plenderleith, tying the game. With one minute and ten seconds remaining in the second period, senior Anna McDonald’s goal secured the lead for Harvard, making the score 2-1. This would be the final score of the game. Despite putting constant pressure on the Crimson goaltender, outshooting Harvard 16-4 in the third period, Colgate was unable to capture a second goal.

In  a thriller, Colgate took the ice on Saturday looking for revenge against the team that knocked them out of the ECAC Tournament three straight years. Jenna Cunningham scored twice for Dartmouth in the first period, giving the Big Green an early lead. 17 minutes into the second period, however, Minnick cut Dartmouth’s lead to two with a goal of her own. Only a minute later, Cunningham responded by tallying her third goal of the game, Dartmouth’s second of the period, and moving the score to 4-1. Colgate too answered with a quick goal, this one scored by first-year Brittany Phillips at 19:05.

As the game moved into the third period, Colgate’s offense burst into life as seniors Beth Rotenberg and Katie Stewart each struck goals to bring to score to 4-4. With 3:10 left on the game clock, Dartmouth scored their fifth and final goal, heaping pressure onto the Colgate offense to take back the game. 55 seconds before the end of regulation, Minnick did just that, scoring her second goal of the game and forcing the competition into overtime.

Two saves by sophomore goaltender Kimberly Sass kept the score tied at five and earned the Raiders’ first tie of the season.

“We always play well against Dartmouth,” senior tri-captain Beth Rotenberg said. “We have a huge rivalry with them and yesterday’s game was a perfect example of the type battle-hard and will-to-win kind of game that we love to play.”

Colgate’s offensive surge late in the game and ability to maintain pressure on Dartmouth’s defense throughout the game has given the team a boost of confidence in their ability to be competitive against tough opponents.

 “We know that if we stick to our game plan and play the way we can then we can beat anyone,” Minnick added.

The Raiders will return to the ice against Rensselaer in Troy, NY on Friday and will face Union College the next day.